


His 'Eden'

by Cutebeast64



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Everyone in eden is dating, Fluff and Angst, Ibara centric, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25291396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutebeast64/pseuds/Cutebeast64
Summary: The Eden he once dreamed of, was far more than he could have ever expected.
Relationships: Eden/Saegusa Ibara, Ran Nagisa/Saegusa Ibara, Saegusa Ibara/Sazanami Jun, Saegusa Ibara/Tomoe Hiyori
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58
Collections: Enstars Rarepair Week





	His 'Eden'

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little drabble for Rarepair Ship Week. A full poly Eden, with the focus of this fic being mainly on Ibara because I love Ibara very much and he deserves all the love and kisses.
> 
> Up until the cut there's some flashbacks of his life in the orphanage, so you may skip that if you want just the fluff.

Lying down in the middle of the darkness, shivering from cold and curling around his pained stomach, Ibara gritted his teeth and clenched his fists - nails digging right into the flesh…

Was trying to feed himself such a terrible thing? Was it a crime heinous enough to deserve this level of punishment?

He knew the orphanage mistress ate well – he’d seen it. So why was it so wrong for him to steal one single loaf of bread?

Was wanting to live a crime?

He winced – another wave of pain spreading from his stomach and around his body. The ache of hunger -after being forced to throw up the bread he’d stolen- mixing with the bruising pain of the few kicks he received… Still, he didn’t cry.

He might be a kid, but he was already painfully aware of the futility of crying.

After all, it wasn’t the first time he was locked up in here – a ‘self-reflection’ room that would be better called a punishment cell, so small that stretching in any direction would end up with him hitting a wall…

In fact, he didn’t remember the first time he was locked in there. His earliest memory of this room already came with a flavor of resignation -of knowing the fear and the cold.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was less horrifying or less painful… it just meant he wouldn’t turn to crying or begging anymore.

Instead, he’d just close his eyes and distract himself by thinking.

Of all the things he’d do when he was out. Of all the food he’d eat and how he’d laugh in the face of that mistress when he was more important than her…

He knew well enough that nobody wanted him. That his live carried no meaning. That there was no reason for him to be born… that there was not a single place in the world that belonged to him…

… But he was a bit too stubborn. A bit too _twisted_.

Who cared if he was a burden, an annoyance, a problem to others? If he was unwanted? He _would_ live out of spite. He would make his own reason to be alive…

Even if no one wanted him -or maybe exactly because of that- he’d make a place for himself.

He would show them… that he could get his own oasis. His own paradise… his own…

* * *

Blue eyes opened wide. The golden light that managed to squeeze past the curtains cutting the ceiling in a long diagonal. Dust specs twinkling like tiny stars before his eyes, he closed and opened his eyes a couple of times, trying to get a hold of reality…

How odd… it’d been so many years since he left the orphanage- why would he remember it so suddenly?

And more importantly even, when did he fall asleep? Didn’t he have work left to do?

Ah… he couldn’t remember.

Even though he could somehow perfectly remember the dream he was just having – the asphyxiating sensation of that small room still present on his body, just like the stinging pain in his stomach…

…

Actually… that was a _real_ stomachache he was feeling, wasn’t it?

That would make sense. He got a stomachache while he slept, and his mind somehow brought the single most displeasing memory it had in store because of it.

Well, at least that made the solution rather straightforward. If he got some nourishment and some medicine to calm his stomach, then he should be able to shake off the unsettling feeling left by that dream.

With that decided, he promptly attempted -and consequently failed- to get up.

?

It seemed like, as the stomachache, the feeling of having a heavy weight on top of his chest had not being conjured by his dream, but the other way around. A quick look down revealing two heavy arms resting over his torso.

And here he was wondering why he felt so unnecessarily hot and constricted.

How could he not, when Nagisa was hugging him tightly from the left while Hiyori insistently cuddled him from the right?

Now that he saw them both, vague memories of being pulled away from work in the middle of the night and then forced to bed by the joint weight of Eve, came to mind. They didn’t hear a word he said, not even letting him go for supper, maybe suspecting he’d use that excuse to continue working…

No wonder he ended up having nightmares…

With a heavy sigh, he shook his right hand free from Hiyori’s grasp and brought it to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Mn? Looking back on it, Jun was the one to pull him to bed, along with Hiyori… then why was Nagisa the one placidly sleeping by his side? He didn’t braid his hair before sleeping either, so it looked like a whole white mess underneath him…

“You woke up Ibara?” Hearing his name, Ibara’s mind stopped its analysis, blue eyes darting towards the source of the voice. The one guy that was missing from the bed was now calmly standing -shirtless and sweaty- by the door of the bedroom.

“As you can see” shaking off the two spoiled leaders just barely enough to sit up on the bed, he shrugged up lightly “I assume you were doing your morning exercises?”

“Ya’, sum’ing like that” Jun said, barely opening his mouth as he spoke. As if he was too lazy to articulate fully – or maybe he was just sleepy because it was still early in the morning?

Nagisa turned in his sleep, strong arms looking for Ibara’s waist to hold onto - knowing how impossible it’d be to break free once he was caught, Ibara lightly pushed him away and back to the bed, turning his weight to try and get up.

“You can’t get back to work yet. Ohiisan will get mad if you do” Jun warned him, somewhat looking like a guard dog– yet keeping a somewhat amused light in his eyes, which he could only guess was a response to seeing Ibara dealing with the two sleepy guys.

“It’s not like that” Ibara replied, getting a raised eyebrow as response “It really isn’t. I am having a bit of a stomachache, since I was forced to bed without eating, so I was going to make some food”

He made sure to coat his words in plenty of poison, a bright smile joining them.

“Then I’ll fix ya sum’ing to eat” Jun said, unaffected.

“… oya, were you able to cook, Jun?”

A small tick of the eyebrow, he seemed to have struck a nerve. “You _know_ I can cook, stupid Ibara” he clicked his tongue.

Ibara merely raised his shoulders, a playful smile in place.

“No need. I’ll do it myself. I shall prepare His Excellency’s breakfast as well, since it is almost time for him to wake up” he said, looking down at the sleeping beauty – silver hair spread all over the bed and strong arms once more trying to catch his waist. Was he being used as some teddy bear replacement, maybe? He once more pushed him lightly to the side, poking at one of his soft cheeks as he did so with some amusement “That reminds me, I was meaning to ask… why is His Excellency sleeping here? Didn’t _you_ get me to bed?”

“Oh yah, when I woke up, he was sleepin’ hugged to me. Once I managed to get him off, he just rolled over and latched onto you”

Ah, he could somehow see the image in his head…

“Either way, I don’t want ohiisan barking my ear off for lettin’ ya up so you’re gonna lay down and wait till I get ya summ food” Jun insisted, rolling his shoulders in a ‘I don’t care’ mood.

“Fine, fine. I shall allow you entertain me with your attempt of homemade breakfast.” He heard Jun clicking his tongue “However, I hope you’ll be graceful enough to allow me to get up and find some medicine for my stomachache?”

“Stomachache?? Is your stomach hurting?”

When in hell did Hiyori wake up?

Turning towards the loud and dazzling voice, he found Hiyori sitting up by his side. A face that spelled concern ever so clearly.

“That’s terrible! Jun-kun! Make him something light to eat!” he had barely woken up, bed hair looking ridiculously funny, and he still went on to give orders normally.

“Was gonna even if you didn’t tell me to” Jun shrugged, turning around to leave the room (and probably to laugh a bit at Hiyori’s bed hair).

“Good boy~ That’s my Jun-kun!” Hiyori chirped, waving him off before turning towards Ibara. A hand moving up to brush red hair away from his forehead.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Mn? Just checking if you have a fever.” Hiyori’s reply was as simple as it was matter-of-factly, leaning forward to press his own forehead against Ibara’s.

He had no make-up on (even if that was kind of obvious), but he still looked terribly handsome. And smelled kind of nice…

“You haven’t been sleeping well after all! You’ll catch a cold if you aren’t careful!” Hiyori nagged, his voice reaching all the way to Ibara’s mouth – his breath felt a bit wet and warm. “You feel a bit hot. Maybe it is a fever”

Hiyori decided – even if the heat most certainly was not caused by a fever.

“It is _not_. While I appreciate your concern, I am in good condition. I just happen to have a stomachache. I will be fine with some medicine for it.”

“You’re just saying that so you can get back to work!” Hiyori frowned, a pout showing on his face.

While Ibara wasn’t lying, he had tried to sneak off his ‘break times’ enough times to give Hiyori a reason to worry… hence why he couldn’t say anything against it.

“Just lay down with Nagisa-kun. I’ll bring you some medicine for your stomach and a glass of water, okay?”

“There’s no need…”

“Okay?” Hiyori repeated, violet eyes staring deep into Ibara’s own blues.

He closed his mouth, knowing there was little to do when Hiyori went into his ‘caring big brother’ mode. So instead of complaining he just nodded once in agreement.

“Good boy” Hiyori smiled, warm hands cupping Ibara’s cheeks and head tilting lightly to the side as he leaned close… one soft peck on the lips making Ibara freeze in place.

It wasn’t the first time he got kissed by Hiyori, but it never stopped being surprising.

Hiyori smiled warmly, as if he just couldn’t help finding Ibara’s confused reaction adorable. And, as if taking advantage of it, he pressed a drizzle of tiny pecks over his lips, hands gently caressing his face and along his ears as he did so.

“Ah, I wanna stay here and give you more kisses, but you need your medicine. Stay put, snake-chan” he chirped, giving Ibara one last kiss -a bit softer and slower- before finally getting up from the bed and out of the room.

“…Ibara …” he was barely processing what had just happened when Nagisa’s voice called him from the side, strong arms suddenly latching to his waist.

“Y-your Excellency??” had he just woken up? His eyelids looked heavy, a couple of white buckles of messy hair falling across his face…

“Get down here…” Nagisa mumbled, sounding like a spoiled kid “… it’s an order”

“Ah… y-yes sir” Ibara stuttered, finally letting himself get pulled down into the bed. Arms wrapped tightly around his waist, Nagisa gently pressed a few sleepy kisses against his neck and jawline, nuzzling the side of his face like some big cat.

“It’s not fair…” he said, voice dragging down, low and husky, right against Ibara’s ear “… that Hiyori gets all the kisses”

… there were several things wrong with that assumption, starting from the fact that it implied Ibara had _given_ Hiyori kisses when he was clearly the receiving party… still, it was easy to tell Nagisa was too sleepy to pay attention to his attempts of explaining the situation… so after a moment of considering what the easiest way out was, he turned around to kiss the tip of his nose.

It _still_ felt weird to do that.

Just like it felt weird to be hugged this tightly… or to see Nagisa smile so cutely at his clumsy attempt of a kiss.

He sometimes wondered if he’d ever stop being awkward about these things… If anything, it seemed more lightly that the rest of Eden, far more welcoming of such displays of affection would give up on him before long…

“Ibara-kun~ Here’s your medicine” Hiyori called, walking into the room with a gentle smile “Ah, good morning Nagisa-kun“ he smiled when he noticed Nagisa was awake, walking around the bed to sit closer to him before offering Ibara both the glass and the pill “Sit up so you can drink it~”

“I appreciate it” Ibara mumbled, sneaking away from Nagisa’s arms to get his drink.

Maybe feeling a bit lonely again, Nagisa turned towards Hiyori, nuzzling his side like a spoiled child “Hiyori… my good morning kiss”

Smiling a bit, Hiyori leaned down to kiss him on the lips. One kiss turning into two and three and four. Moving a bit away from them, Ibara awkwardly swallowed down his medicine with a gulp of water.

Maybe he should take this chance to go back to work…

“Ibara, I got your breakfast ready” hearing Jun’s voice, Ibara jumped up slightly, as if he’d been caught in the middle of doing something wrong.

“Oh, Jun… that’s quite efficient of you” he laughed, trying to pretend he hadn’t just tried to get back to work. Jun crooked an eyebrow, but still offered forward the plate. A simple meal of plain yogurt and mixed fruit on a pancake. It honestly looked quite attractive right now…

Moving closer to the edge of the bed, Ibara received the plate and the spoon, digging into the meal.

“How is it?” Hiyori asked from the side, smiling as usual.

… it was good.

“It’s not bad” he replied, getting a small elbow to the arm from Jun.

“What do you mean ‘not bad’ you stupid snake. Your eyes are sparkling! You totally fuckin’ love it, dontcha?” he demanded, getting Ibara to laugh a bit.

It felt warm -and a bit itchy- to be surrounded by people… even know it felt awkward to have their undivided attention, not because of something he did, but because it was him…it felt so weird and dreamy when compared to his nightmare – to the memories it showed him.

As if the loneliness of being trapped inside a dark room was reality, and this soft feeling of being taken care of was the dream…

… and yet, he knew this had to be real. The little kid that cursed the world while kicking the walls of his prison could have never dreamed of this. Could have never imagined a time where kindness was the rule… a time where he could simply exist… and still have a place to call his own.

The pancake was a bit too sweet… but good…

The good morning kisses were still awkward… but they were good too…

The ‘Eden’ he’d dreamed of creating – the place he’d wished for himself and which he’d planned from scratch… it exceeded all of his expectations.

… did he even deserve this much happiness? He doubted it… but he was a villain. Being greedy was just part of the role.


End file.
